LAHORE, Aug 24: Indian Border Security Force Deputy Inspector General Gur Darshan Singh has said that infiltration and smuggling are possible from Pakistan despite erection of fence on the Indian border.

Mr Singh said this while answering a question about the Indian government’s allegations pertaining to alleged infiltration of terrorists and smuggling of narcotics from Pakistan on his arrival for participation in the quarterly Pakistan Rangers-BSF talks at the Wahga Border here on Wednesday morning.

He said the fences were only for the law-abiding citizens, while the lawbreakers always managed to cross the border by breaking these. He, however, parried the question as to how many times the border fence had been broken, and walked away for talks.

Asked to explain the rationale of the BSF policy of handing over the persons crossing the border inadvertently to police, whereas the Pakistan Rangers handed such persons back to the BSF, he said a large number of persons crossing the borders inadvertently had been repatriated by the security forces on both sides. The BSF, however, could not ensure return of persons involved in criminal activities and convicted by the courts of law, he added.

Answering a question about the large-scale smuggling of injurious to health Indian liquor into Pakistan, he humorously remarked that he wished that the number of drunkards should reduce.

He later discussed the matters relating to control of smuggling and infiltration, return of persons and animals crossing the border inadvertently and welfare of the border area population with the Pakistan Rangers team. BSF DIG P.C. Gupta, and Indian Narcotics Control Board representative O.P. Sharma assisted Mr Sigh during the talks.